Title: twist
Fandom: Stranger Things
Characters/Pairings: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1,005
Content notes: mentions of sex.
Author notes: written for Challenge #406: Twist.
Summary: There’s a reason why Steve Harrington doesn’t like people to touch his hair. But Eddie… Eddie knows Steve’s secret.

There’s a reason why Steve Harrington doesn’t like people to touch his hair. Most think it’s because it takes him such a long time to get it to look fluffy and shiny and perfectly messy—of course Steve wouldn’t want anyone to ruin it by sticking their fingers through it. Especially when he spends so much money on hair care products.

But Eddie…

Eddie knows Steve’s secret.

Eddie knows the truth.

It’s all about the boyfriend privileges, he thinks. Dating someone means getting to know them, getting close to them, discovering all sorts of things about them they don’t usually share. It makes Eddie’s stomach flutter and his heart twist in his chest, sometimes, to know Steve lets him in like that. Lets himself be loved and loves Eddie in return.

This is why Eddie isn’t surprised when the first thing Steve does after they’ve had dinner and washed the dishes is to pull Eddie towards the couch, push him down, and flop half on top of him. Eddie huffs out a breath and they both wiggle around until Steve is comfortable resting his head on Eddie’s chest, facing their shitty TV, and their legs tangle together.

“Do you care what we watch?” Eddie asks him with a little smirk while he reaches for the remote. He knows where this is going already.

Steve’s been juggling work and night classes since he decided to get his counseling degree. This means that, more often than not, he comes home exhausted and drained and wanting comfort. A very specific type of comfort.

“Nothing scary,” Steve answers and rubs his cheek against Eddie’s worn t-shirt. He sneaks a hand up under said shirt and curls it around Eddie’s side. “And no news reports.”

“Got it.” Eddie drops a kiss to Steve’s forehead and starts flipping channels. He makes a little sound of victory when Ferris Bueller’s Day Off comes on. “How’s this?”

“I wish I had a day off,” Steve grumbles. “‘S good.”

“You’ll have one of those on Sunday,” Eddie reminds him. His own work schedule isn’t as brutal as Steve, but that’s only because he’s already done with his library science course. “We can sleep in, I’ll make you breakfast in bed. Maybe we can even do butt stuff and not worry about the clean up!”

Steve snorts at that and lifts his head up long enough so he can brush a kiss to Eddie’s chin. “I miss you fucking me.”

“I miss that too, baby.”

It’s too much work, sometimes, for them to get to that point. Hands and mouths and rutting against each other takes less time and work and often has the same results. Maybe not as many earth-shattering orgasms as when they’re doing anal, but still.

Eddie does miss being close to Steve like that, though.

Sunday can’t come soon enough. Pun not intended.

Eddie takes advantage of having Steve still staring at him so he can kiss him. It’s a sweet kiss, a little wet but with no intention behind it, just a soft press of lips and some tongue before he pulls back.

“Love you,” Steve murmurs and sneaks one more kiss before he settles back down again.

“Love you too,” Eddie says and finally gives Steve what he wants.

Steve’s immediate reaction to Eddie’s fingers carding through his hair is to go as limp as a wet noodle. It’s like every bit of tension and stress he’s been carrying on his shoulders for the past week dissipates the second Eddie scratches his nail across his scalp and starts to twist strands between his fingers.

Eddie doesn’t even bother to fight back a smile when he stares down at Steve. His baby’s eyes are already a little glazed over, mouth soft and expression slack, like he’s so relaxed he’s not even on Earth anymore. He’s ascended to a place where all he feels is peace and good.

Because that’s what happens when Steve lets people touch his hair. He gets a little out of it with how good it makes him feel.

Steve tried explaining it to Eddie once: how Eddie’s hands on his hair and the way he twisted the strands and scratched at the back of his neck and ran his fingers through it sent sparks up and down him body and instantly relaxed him. It’s like an off switch, he’d said, for my brain.

It’s no wonder Steve doesn’t let people touch his hair. And now that Eddie knows why, he’s glad he’s the only one that gets to do this for Steve.

And Robin, but she doesn’t count. She’s half of Steve in a separate body, so when she does it? It’s like Steve is doing it himself.

So Eddie keeps at it, playing with Steve’s hair and messing it all up, as he focuses on the TV. Every once in a while he’ll press a kiss to the top of Steve’s head and get a little hum from Steve in response.

It’s half an hour later when Steve lets out a big sigh and props his head up again, chin digging into Eddie’s chest. His eyes are half-lidded and there’s a light blush to his cheeks and the lingering exhaustion from before seems to have left him for the time being.

“Your hands are magic,” Steve tells him and smiles when Eddie laughs at him.

“Yeah?”

Steve winks. “Yeah. I’m very lucky to have them.”

“I think they’re mine, technically,” Eddie points out with a grin and lets himself be kissed when Steve moves up his body.

“You’re mine, so they’re mine too.” Steve kisses him again, lightly nipping at Eddie’s bottom lip.

“Oh, is that so, sweetheart?” Eddie teases. He gets his hands on Steve’s hair again and watches as Steve goes a little cross-eyed. “You’re mine too, you know that?”

“Yeah,” Steve breathes out and his eyes shine when stares at Eddie. “Think you can use them on me on Sunday?”
“Honey,” Eddie leans in close for another kiss, “you don’t even have to ask.”